New Orleans Saints host Giants in battle of unbeatens
Five undefeated teams still dot the NFL landscape, but avoiding the rare OT tie that number will be reduced by at least one this Sunday when the Saints and Giants get together in New Orleans. The game will feature two stellar signal callers in Eli Manning for New York, ranked No. 2 behind brother Peyton in the lastest QB ratings, and Drew Brees who sits just behind Eli as the No. 3 quarterback in the NFL.
Week 5 of the 2009 NFL season has come and gone, and we still have five undefeated teams. That’s almost certain to change in Week 6 when the New Orleans Saints (4-0 SU and ATS) host the New York Giants (5-0 SU, 4-0-1 ATS) in a potential NFC championship preview.
The sharps were quick to jump on the early betting odds, hammering the Giants as 3-point underdogs and dropping the total from 48 points at the open to 47 in a matter of hours. It’s hard not to like the Giants. They won Super Bowl XLII, went 12-4 SU and ATS last year, and looked especially good beating the Oakland Raiders (+15.5) 44-7 on Sunday afternoon.
The Saints won’t roll over that easily. They’re likely to draw strong support from the public over the weekend, with their crowd-pleasing offense featuring Drew Brees (nine TDs, two INTs, 108.4 passer rating) at quarterback and a potent running attack led by the now-healthy Pierre Thomas (6.4 yards per carry). New Orleans also has the benefit of home-field advantage and the bye week. But it’s the amazing improvement of the Saints defense that makes them a compelling pick in this matchup. Football Outsiders has them ranked first in the league in defensive efficiency, with the Giants at No. 4.
Sharps have a reason not to be too impressed by those rankings. Even adjusting for strength of schedule, it’s relatively easy for the Saints defense to look good after playing offensively challenged teams like Detroit and Buffalo. Their toughest test thus far was in Week 2 against a Philadelphia Eagles team that lost QB Donovan McNabb in the season opener, handing Kevin Kolb his first NFL start. The Saints picked him off three times en route to a 48-22 victory as 2.5-point road faves.
We can also give the Giants the proverbial golf clap for forcing gaffe-prone Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell to commit three fumbles on Sunday. The only quality offense New York has had to face this year was the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, and even though the G-Men intercepted QB Tony Romo three times, it took a last-second field goal from Lawrence Tynes to lift Big Blue to a 33-31 win as 3-point road dogs.
The biggest positive for Giants supporters to take away from the Oakland game was the performance of QB Eli Manning. He shook off a right heel injury to throw two TD passes as New York took an early 28-0 lead, allowing Manning to take the rest of the day off while David Carr ran the offense – and did a commendable job, going pick-free and running 12 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
The Giants offensive line has given up just three sacks this year, not that they’ve been challenged much. The Saints pass rush will be a tougher test with 11 sacks after four games. Conversely, the New Orleans O-line has given Drew Brees ample protection with a mere four sacks, fending off the quality pass rushers from Philadelphia and Buffalo. The Giants were No. 17 in the league in sack rate at 6.2 percent on eight total sacks, but that was before they got to Russell six times on Sunday.
Neither defense has done a particularly good job at stuffing the run, which is a more promising development for the balanced New Orleans attack. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs has rushed for only 3.6 yards per carry this year, down from 5.0 yards in each of the past two seasons. This is a bad sign for whatever’s left of his NFL career at age 27. Jacobs has had a tough time keeping his 6-foot-4, 264-pound frame compact enough to squeeze through defenders in short-yardage situations. Ahmad Bradshaw (5-foot-9, 198 pounds) has become the team’s most productive runner at 6.5 yards per carry. The two make for an excellent combination, but it’s a step below seasons past with Derrick Ward now playing for Tampa Bay.
One last bone to throw New Orleans bettors: Place-kicker Garrett Hartley is due to return to the team after serving his four-game suspension for testing positive for a stimulant. Hartley has a bigger leg than fill-in John Carney; both are expected to remain on the roster, with Hartley handling kick-offs and longer field-goal attempts. Carney hasn’t tried a kick from outside 40 yards this year, while Hartley was 4-for-4 last year and 13-for-13 overall after taking over from Martin Gramatica. Don’t be surprised if Hartley plays the hero in this matchup – and time your bet accordingly, in case the Giants move to +3.5.
Five undefeated teams still dot the NFL landscape, but avoiding the rare OT tie that number will be reduced by at least one this Sunday when the Saints and Giants get together in New Orleans. The game will feature two stellar signal callers in Eli Manning for New York, ranked No. 2 behind brother Peyton in the lastest QB ratings, and Drew Brees who sits just behind Eli as the No. 3 quarterback in the NFL.
Week 5 of the 2009 NFL season has come and gone, and we still have five undefeated teams. That’s almost certain to change in Week 6 when the New Orleans Saints (4-0 SU and ATS) host the New York Giants (5-0 SU, 4-0-1 ATS) in a potential NFC championship preview.
The sharps were quick to jump on the early betting odds, hammering the Giants as 3-point underdogs and dropping the total from 48 points at the open to 47 in a matter of hours. It’s hard not to like the Giants. They won Super Bowl XLII, went 12-4 SU and ATS last year, and looked especially good beating the Oakland Raiders (+15.5) 44-7 on Sunday afternoon.
The Saints won’t roll over that easily. They’re likely to draw strong support from the public over the weekend, with their crowd-pleasing offense featuring Drew Brees (nine TDs, two INTs, 108.4 passer rating) at quarterback and a potent running attack led by the now-healthy Pierre Thomas (6.4 yards per carry). New Orleans also has the benefit of home-field advantage and the bye week. But it’s the amazing improvement of the Saints defense that makes them a compelling pick in this matchup. Football Outsiders has them ranked first in the league in defensive efficiency, with the Giants at No. 4.
Sharps have a reason not to be too impressed by those rankings. Even adjusting for strength of schedule, it’s relatively easy for the Saints defense to look good after playing offensively challenged teams like Detroit and Buffalo. Their toughest test thus far was in Week 2 against a Philadelphia Eagles team that lost QB Donovan McNabb in the season opener, handing Kevin Kolb his first NFL start. The Saints picked him off three times en route to a 48-22 victory as 2.5-point road faves.
We can also give the Giants the proverbial golf clap for forcing gaffe-prone Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell to commit three fumbles on Sunday. The only quality offense New York has had to face this year was the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, and even though the G-Men intercepted QB Tony Romo three times, it took a last-second field goal from Lawrence Tynes to lift Big Blue to a 33-31 win as 3-point road dogs.
The biggest positive for Giants supporters to take away from the Oakland game was the performance of QB Eli Manning. He shook off a right heel injury to throw two TD passes as New York took an early 28-0 lead, allowing Manning to take the rest of the day off while David Carr ran the offense – and did a commendable job, going pick-free and running 12 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
The Giants offensive line has given up just three sacks this year, not that they’ve been challenged much. The Saints pass rush will be a tougher test with 11 sacks after four games. Conversely, the New Orleans O-line has given Drew Brees ample protection with a mere four sacks, fending off the quality pass rushers from Philadelphia and Buffalo. The Giants were No. 17 in the league in sack rate at 6.2 percent on eight total sacks, but that was before they got to Russell six times on Sunday.
Neither defense has done a particularly good job at stuffing the run, which is a more promising development for the balanced New Orleans attack. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs has rushed for only 3.6 yards per carry this year, down from 5.0 yards in each of the past two seasons. This is a bad sign for whatever’s left of his NFL career at age 27. Jacobs has had a tough time keeping his 6-foot-4, 264-pound frame compact enough to squeeze through defenders in short-yardage situations. Ahmad Bradshaw (5-foot-9, 198 pounds) has become the team’s most productive runner at 6.5 yards per carry. The two make for an excellent combination, but it’s a step below seasons past with Derrick Ward now playing for Tampa Bay.
One last bone to throw New Orleans bettors: Place-kicker Garrett Hartley is due to return to the team after serving his four-game suspension for testing positive for a stimulant. Hartley has a bigger leg than fill-in John Carney; both are expected to remain on the roster, with Hartley handling kick-offs and longer field-goal attempts. Carney hasn’t tried a kick from outside 40 yards this year, while Hartley was 4-for-4 last year and 13-for-13 overall after taking over from Martin Gramatica. Don’t be surprised if Hartley plays the hero in this matchup – and time your bet accordingly, in case the Giants move to +3.5.
